


I'd move the earth or lose a fight (just to see you smile)

by komkommertijd



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Actor! Max, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Confessions, Dates, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, baseball and basketball, mentions of sports teams, mentions of sugar daddies, please don't ask idk what's going on either
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23945692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komkommertijd/pseuds/komkommertijd
Summary: Max can't help but smile when he falls asleep later, finally giving in to his wishful thinking, imagining the excitement and the happiness on Daniel's face when they would finally meet again and the way his eyes would sparkle when he takes his seat in one of the front rows at Staples Center.He figures that he would do anything just to make Daniel smile.OrThe one where Max is a famous actor in Los Angeles asking Daniel out for a second date. In a bar. Via phone call.
Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Daniel Ricciardo (implied), Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	I'd move the earth or lose a fight (just to see you smile)

**Author's Note:**

> LA baby.
> 
> I don't have a lot to say about this except that I wrote most of this between 2 am and 6 am so it might not make any sense at all and it's just something based on a text message I once came across either on Instagram or Pinterest and spent hours looking for but I couldn't find it anymore so uh, yeah, cool. This has been sitting in my drafts for a while and somehow I found the energy to finish it.
> 
> About the general storyline, all I have to say is that it barely makes any sense? Max is an actor and obviously, he lives in Los Angeles, what a surprise, so this is set just there. Los Angeles's home NBA (basketball) teams mentioned here are the LA Lakers and LA Clippers and the "Hallway game", as Max calls it later, originates from their ongoing rivalry (since 1984, wild). Their matchups are sometimes called Hallway Series (so yeah, that's where that came from).
> 
> The home MLB team (baseball) mentioned here are the LA Dodgers, one of two Los Angeles based teams (the Los Angeles Angels being the other one). The Dodgers' LA interlocked logo reminds me of Daniel's LA tattoo every time, for obvious reasons, which is why Max makes fun of it here. The Mets and the Yankees are the teams from New York City and the Yankees' logo is seen on every second base cap (as least in Europe) because no one knows it has to do with baseball. It's fashion, I don't know. Daniel makes Max out to be a Yankees fan for disliking the Dodgers (aka being mainstream because he doesn't know shit about the sport) and I just really liked the parallel of both cities having two teams for each of the four big sports (LA has the Dodgers and Angels in the MLB - NYC has the Mets and the Yankees; LA has the Clippers and the Lakers in the NBA - NYC has the Nets and the Knicks; LA has the Kings and the Ducks in the NHL - NYC has the Rangers and the Islanders and LA has the Rams and the Chargers in the NFL - NYC has the Giants and the Jets) due to relocations and other stuff.
> 
> The name of this story comes from What A Man Gotta Do by the Jonas Brothers.
> 
> After rambling about sports no one cares about, I'll let you have fun with this now.
> 
> Thank you for reading and supporting me as always, it means a lot to me :)

It feels weird, finishing a job like this one. It's the end of an era, that's what Max reads all over the news online and it's currently the only thing on his Twitter feed as well, so he turns his phone off and stares into his glass that's standing on the bar counter in front of him to get a break from it all. Just because they're done filming doesn't mean it's over, it only means that he gets some kind of a mental break before the release and the press tours. Still, the last tail slate felt weird and he got emotional when everyone applauded the team and the good work they did for over a year.

Being an actor has always been Max's dream ever since the first time in elementary school when he awkwardly sat in the back at the drama club rehearsal. Acting gave him a way to escape his reality, it gave him a world where he could feel safe and comfortable. Acting gave him a break from his problems at home and it helped him to express his feelings freely, without anyone judging him.

He loves his job but the consequences are a lot to deal with and the fact that another job is over now leaves an empty hole in his chest. The role he portrayed for the past decade, the role that skyrocketed his career and defined his popularity, found its happy end on the screen. It occupied Max's every waking moment for years until he closed his script for the final time in the messy caravan he lived in.

And now he's sitting in a bar, all on his own, alone with his thoughts and a glass of cheap alcohol and that's it. It really does feel weird, now that an essential part of his existence is- well, over. It's over.

He sighs and looks down at the bar counter and somewhere in the corner of his eyes, he spots his phone. Max bites his lower lip and reaches out for it, sweaty fingertips gliding across the smooth glass, over the barely-there crack in the surface of the touchscreen. His fingers curl around the plastic shell that was originally supposed to protect the fragile screen and the expensive technology inside and he picks the phone up from the sticky counter.

It turns on with a single press of his thumb on the power button and he unlocks it with his fingerprint. It immediately overwhelms him, flooding his senses with unnecessary information and a ton of messages he's not interested in. He turns his notifications off and does a really antithetic thing by opening his messenger app.

Max scrolls through his chats just to find someone to waste his time with and doesn't find anyone. He could text Alex but figures that his co-star is busy after they just finished filming, partying with other actors and friends. He could text his sister or his mom but he's not that desperate yet. He could text Lando who is probably replacing his blood with energy drinks at the moment, pulling an all-nighter to edit the scenes of a short film he's working on.

Instead, his eyes get caught by a contact name that brings back memories from a night not too long ago, vivid images in his head. He hesitates with his finger hovering above the screen and thinks about all the possible things that could go wrong. He hits the call button before the anxiety can make him feel embarrassed about his idea and the way his heartbeat speeds up is slightly concerning.

"Uh, hi?", mumbles Daniel Ricciardo when he picks up the phone.

"Hi, this is Max. I don't know whether you remember me but-"

"Yeah, Max Verstappen. You're famous, of course I remember you", the familiar voice replies and sounds amused and tired at the same time. Max swallows and wipes his hands on the fabric of his jeans. He doesn't know what makes him so nervous all of a sudden. He doesn't know why he decided to call instead of just sending a stupid text.

"I was just wondering whether you", he pauses and tries to get his point across without stumbling over his own words like a stupid teenager.

"I was wondering whether you would want to go on a second date. I just finished filming my movie and... I really enjoyed the first one", Max manages to say, holding tightly onto his phone. He picks his glass up from the counter and downs the remaining alcohol in one go, hoping to gather some courage with the help of his chemical cocktail.

"I mean, that sounds nice, it really does, but Max- after our date I met someone. On my way home, there was this guy who got lost in the city and I showed him the way back to his hotel. He was pretty cute, fun to talk to and we clicked immediately. He had the prettiest eyes and I fell in love with him that night. When he went back home, I followed him. I left Los Angeles and I now live in Monaco with him and I'm happy. We're getting married next year."

"What?", is all Max can reply, for his brain can neither comprehend nor process that information. It stings and his stomach sinks and Max doesn't know why it makes him feel disappointed. It shouldn't because they're not dating and they haven't really talked since the one date they went on and they each have their own separate lives and-

"Just kidding sweetie, I've been thinking about you every single day and I'm still stuck in this city. What are you up to nowadays?"

Max laughs, relief washing over him, and runs his free hand through his hair, probably messing it up even more and he buys another drink while he tries to think of an interesting reply to Daniel's question. He didn't do much besides eating and sleeping and reading his script when he wasn't filming for the past months. Max's life is pretty boring and unspectacular for a famous actor.

"Oh, you know, not much. I've just been working mostly. It's really not as interesting as everyone always thinks it is."

"Yeah, it must be horrible to be famous."

Max rolls his eyes, aware that Daniel can't see it, and smiles against the rim of his glass before he takes a sip and sets it back down. It's weird how Daniel manages to do that, making him smile even though they haven't talked in months. Somehow it is so easy to have a conversation with Daniel, no matter how long they've been apart.

"I've missed you", Max sighs and he doesn't know why he said that but it's too late to take it back and that's the consequence Max has to deal with for calling instead of texting like an ordinary mortal. It feels weird to say it out loud but he can't exactly pretend that it was a lie either, his head knows what crimes his choice of words commit on the regular.

"Did you really miss me in particular or did you just miss having someone to talk to? All jokes aside though, I missed you too. Life's boring without having someone who talks shit about the Dodgers in my presence", Daniel admits and Max knows that the last sentence wasn't meant to be taken seriously and strongly hopes that the ones before were. He is smart enough not to voice that thought though and figures it's easier to continue the conversation in a lighter mood if he really wants Daniel to agree on going on another date.

"It's not my fault they're bad", he says and Daniel's amused snort makes him realize that it really is the better option to talk about anything and everything and nothing in particular instead of overwhelming each other with feelings they can't quite grasp onto yet. Max wants to admit that he stared at Daniel's number on his phone almost daily and never quite dared to contact him, scared that he was the only one who truly enjoyed that date, but he doesn't.

"They aren't", Daniel interrupts his thoughts, "you're just a mainstream Yankees fan."

"What if I tell you I'm more into the Mets?", Max retorts. What if I tell you how much of a coward I have been for the past months? Another sip from his glass doesn't really do anything besides burning in Max's throat.

"You're not a Mets fan", Daniel states matter-of-factly and Max shakes his head. He's aware that Daniel can't see it and wishes he could. He wants to tell his counterpart about it, about how much he missed seeing his smile and hearing his laugh in person, how much he missed admiring his warm eyes and making fun of what clearly looks way too much like the Dodgers logo tattooed on his arm, how much he missed existing in his proximity and the safety and warmth he radiates, but he doesn't. He can't, it's embarrassing.

"You're right."

"I know", says Daniel because he probably does and Max doesn't really doubt that he knows exactly what's going through Max's head at the moment. He doesn't doubt that Daniel knows and thinks about it too, maybe in a different way or maybe in the same. He said he missed Max too at the beginning, that surely had to mean something.

"Let's just agree that we should not go to a baseball game for a date ever."

Daniel laughs and something in Max's stomach tingles. He washes the feeling away with liquor, unsure whether he should let it be and accept it yet. Maybe steering the subject back from baseball, something Max actually doesn't care about as much as the average US citizen probably does, how disappointing, is a semi-good idea. Maybe Daniel doesn't want to go on another date or maybe he has actually met someone, they haven't talked for almost half a year, goddamnit. Maybe Daniel is just too polite to reject Max's request or maybe it's something he doesn't want to discuss on a phone call. Max is still surprised that he even picked up.

"Alrighty, noted. How about basketball though? I don't know a single person in this city who's not a Lakers fan", Daniel suggests and Max's heart skips a beat, surely not expecting Daniel to accept the offer, let alone continue the conversation about it.

"What if I'm a Clippers fan though?", Max asks in return, just to mess with Daniel. He doesn't care all that much about basketball, less than baseball anyway.

"Well, then we'll find a game where they play against each other so I can make fun of you when the Clippers lose."

It sounds like a good compromise and Max has to admit that he never went on a date at any kind of sports event ever before, which is probably considered a crime for an actor like him, and figures that basketball is bearable with Daniel. It's less the second date he would have expected when he first called Daniel and even after having his hopes crushed in the first minutes of the conversation, a lot more noisy and action-packed than he would usually prefer.

If it all goes well they can still go out for dinner together and talk in a more relaxed environment, where they aren't trapped between sweaty people screaming at their own team to play better, he tells himself and downs the remainders of alcohol from his glass. It warms his body momentarily, which doesn't really make a difference in the heat of East Hollywood, even at night time when the city is cooling down, and he decides that it's enough for one night and getting drunk while on a phone call with the guy he wants to go on a date with is probably a horrible idea anyway.

"And if the Lakers lose?"

"They won't."

"Yeah sure", he chuckles, amused by Daniel's confidence and faith in the team and slightly encouraged by the alcohol seeping into his veins.

"Well, okay. If the Clippers win, which they won't, I owe you another date. If the Lakers win, which they will, you owe me another date. Is that fair enough Mister movie star?"

Max can't help but feel giddy now, happy, and relieved that Daniel actually does want to go on a date and doesn't just do it for the sake of being polite and seeing the Lakers play. It is an oddly satisfying thing to know and slowly but surely the anxiety and the panic in his brain subside to make space for happy feelings and excitement.

"Sounds like a good deal to me", he replies and hopes that Daniel understands that yes, Max wants to go on as many dates as possible with him before it's too late. Maybe Daniel won't meet someone else this way, maybe he will stay with Max and spend the rest of his life going on dates with him. Max is getting a little ahead of himself and forces his brain to return to reality, preventing it from following a trail that will only lead to a strange emptiness and longing in his chest. He figures that he can still indulge himself in wishful thinking later when he's back in his way-too-big-for-one-person apartment.

"Okay, wonderful", Daniel says and yawns quietly, making Max realize how late it actually is. He feels a little bad for calling Daniel at that time of the day. He was probably on his way to bed already, tired and exhausted after a long day of work and once again Max realizes, that actors really shouldn't complain about their jobs. Sure, his back hurt too at the end of the day, but he gets paid a scarily huge amount of money for a scarily mediocre role and just for the sake of putting his face and name on the posters. He could play as bad as he wants, which he really doesn't and he's quite proud of his skills, and still afford to buy ten more tickets for a basketball game than Daniel, who sounds like he's ready to sell a kidney to see the Lakers live.

"I'll take care of the tickets", he therefore declares and ignores Daniel's polite "you don't have to do that" because yes, Max doesn't but he wants to. He doesn't have to take the jobs he's offered, he doesn't have to try hard to succeed anymore and he doesn't have to go on a date with Daniel but he really, really wants to. It is what makes him happy.

"Okay okay, I don't think I can convince you to change your mind anyway, right?"

"Exactly."

"And that's the story of how Max Verstappen became my sugar daddy", Daniel replies dryly and Max rolls his eyes, slightly embarrassed.

"I am not your sugar daddy just because I pay for a date", Max tries to defend himself and Daniel laughs at his desperate attempt to talk himself out of that situation.

"You're right, I'm the older one here. But you have more money. So we're each other's sugar daddies now?"

"Can we please not discuss this any further?", Max tries, covering his eyes with one hand and sighing exasperatedly into the speaker of his phone that slowly feels like it's sticking to his skin on its own by now.

"Yeah. And I'm not going on dates with you in exchange for money anyway. You look like a shit gifter too, so that wouldn't really work out. Besides that, and the fact that you seem to dislike every good sports team in existence, I actually like you. A lot."

Max can feel the back of his neck growing hot. He told himself not to talk about feelings on the phone earlier, which now results in him nervously chewing on his lower lip as he tries to find an answer to Daniel's suddenly very serious and very overwhelming statement. Honesty is key, he tells himself and takes a deep breath, careful not to let Daniel hear it.

"I like you too, Dan."

It's quiet after that and Max contemplates whether he should check his signal but then Daniel hums and it sounds tired and happy and soothing all at the same time and Max can almost picture the way he's smiling right now, already in bed and ready to fall asleep and it makes something in his stomach flutter.

"That's amazing blackmail material, Maxy."

"Good night", he says instead of answering that, only rolling his eyes once again, "sleep well."

"I'll try. Good night, Max. Get home safely later, okay? And text me tomorrow so we don't forget about this for another six months", Daniel says, voice softer now and he's clearly close to falling asleep, it's Friday night after all, and Max nods. Daniel can't see it but he is sure that he knows. He probably does it too every once in a while.

"I will."

They fall silent once again, neither of them really willing to hang up while simultaneously getting crushed under the weight of the growing awkwardness as the silence continues.

"Alright. Good night, idiot", Daniel says and Max laughs, and then he hangs up and Max feels alone again, in a small bar somewhere in East Hollywood and it's stupid but he craves Daniel's presence more than one of the drunk strangers celebrating the weekend. He leaves a tip that is probably way too big for the silly amount of alcohol he's consumed and makes his way out of the stuffy building and outside into the buzzing streets of Los Angeles.

It's dark outside yet Max can't see the stars in the daze of the city lights as he walks down the concrete sidewalk, for whatever reason paying attention to not stepping on the cracks. It's still warm outside, a gentle breeze carding through Max's hair and carrying the smell of food alcohol through the air. Somewhere in the distance, he hears the roaring of a Lamborghini and for once, Max enjoys just being one of four million people in the city, an ordinary person with an ordinary life, which actually seems quite abnormal for Los Angeles in the end.

He texts Daniel later when he arrives at home, telling him that he got back safely, thanking him for the call and sending him a stupid little red heart emoji that makes him feel like an embarrassed fifteen-year-old who feels like throwing his phone out the window. Instead, he pins the chat before he switches to another one, and the excitement that courses through his system together with the alcohol makes it hard for him to stay calm.

Alex texts him back right when Max is crawling underneath the soft blanket of his bed, sighing when his back hits the mattress and his muscles finally relax after the long and straining day, and he assures him that he knows someone who knows a guy who's friends with someone who is somewhat related to a basketball player Max has never heard of before and that he can definitely get him two tickets for the next Hallway game.

It's a lot to take in and way too confusing for Max's drunk brain but oh well, the things he does for love.

Max can't help but smile when he falls asleep later, finally giving in to his wishful thinking, imagining the excitement and the happiness on Daniel's face when they would finally meet again and the way his eyes would sparkle when he takes his seat in one of the front rows at Staples Center.

He figures that he would do anything just to make Daniel smile.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://komkommertijd.tumblr.com/) if you want to complain <3


End file.
